Improvement in aib and gas engines



D. DICK. u AIR AND GAS ENGINE.

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DAVlD DICK, CF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 63,619, dated April' 9, 186i'.

IMPROVEMENT IN AIRl AND GAS ENGINES.

TO ALL WIIOM IT MAY CONCERN: l

Beit known that I, DAVID DICK, of Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, have invented anew and v useful Improvement in Atmospheric Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to thc annexed drawings, making a part of this speciiication, in which- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of one form of .my improvement.

Figure is a vertical central longitudinal section through the generator and closed chamber. Figure 3 is a transverse section through the same. Figure 4 is a top View, showing a slide valve and its openings with portions of the openings into the generator. Figure 5 is a transverse section through the generator to show the slide fastening for the valve-g, and Fignre is a longitudinal central section of a generator exhibiting a. modification of the mode of vcntilating. Like letters referto like parts in all the figures of the drawings. l It is the object of my'invention to produce motive power by expanding the air in a generator communicating with the working vcylinder of the -engine and heating` the air with some combustible material contained in and alternately ignited and extinguished in a. closed chamber,eonneeted'with o1 made a part of the generator, and to control Vthe ignition of the combustible material with absolute precision by the motion of the. engine; and tc i this end my invention consists, iirst in heating the air for an air engine within a generator by combustion produced from some material contained in a closed chamber connected with or made apart of the generator; second, in alternatelycreating and` extinguishing combustion in the generatorby introducing therein a combustible material to be ignited as it is introducedfand thus expand the air to exert the force required; third, in simuh taneously expelling the air which has been deprived of its oxygen from and introducing fresh air into the gen` erator by a. revoivingplate that shall vibrate back and forth alternatelyaround the internal diameter et' the cylinder against a longitudinal diaphragm; fourth, in the use of an igniting tube and plunger or pist-on that shall automatically create combustion within the 'generator or the closed chamberat the moment Arequired for the concatenation of the movements of the engine; fifth, Ain the 'combination of the mechanisms necessary to effect the results proposed to introduce the combustible material in the closed chamber into the generator and i then to ignite itto produce the combustion required. Y

'.l.o etcct the object of my invention, I construct a generator, A, of cast inetai, smoothly bored, having iianges on each cud to sustain cast heads suitably fastened by bolts. To the bottom or under side of this generator I properly attach a closed chamber, B; and the top of the generator has a fiat surface on its outer side to receive a slide valve, E, having opcnings,`l, that in one position of the slide valve correspond and register with openi ings I in the flattened portions of the generator, but in -thc other position of the valve are closed. This valve t. E is hold in place by platos e and e', so screwedl to the cylinder that while theyr leave it`i`reo to vibrate, as in a rebate, hold it closely to the ground surface of the generator, and thus it moves with an air-tightjoint. The i centrclof the heads of the generator is providedwith stuiiing-boxesto receive and support a cent-ral shaft, M,

toene side ofwhich awing or plateQ, ispseeurcly fastened that is of dimensions to (it the half internal. diameter of the generator but free to vibrate thereon from one side to the other of a diaphragm, C, that is firmly secured e longitudinally to thc upper interior side of thegenerator on aline between the opening 1* l, and reaches nearly to or just touching-thc shaft M at lower edge, and from one head to the other of the generator the'shaft ill i' carries a crank-arm, N, on one end by which it is to be vibrated. A shaft, G, is centrally placed in the close chamber B and supported in a suitable bearing at one end and in a propcrstuiiing-box at the other end, which passes through the head of the close chamber B and carries a crank-arm, G, to give it vibration. A section, C, of suitable dimension is cnt from the bottom of thc generator and secured by bolts to the shaft G", and on the i opposite side of this' shaft is in like manner secured a tube, L, that islwrappeld with looseribrons inatcrial. The shaft G making a half rotation of course removes the section C to the bottom of the closed` chamber and the wrapped tube L into the generator; and the lower portion of the chamber E being filled with oil, or some combustible material, the fibrous wrapping will at all times when elevated into the generator be saturated with the iiuid. A pipe, H, is inserted in the bottom ofthe generator, having an outside opening at c, and a piston, l, with a loop, B, at its end, to connect with a suitable mechanism to give it longitudinal intermittent einem 2 vibration. The piston I may carry at its inner end a sponge saturated with some very inflammable iuid, or a pellet of gun-eotton, or a fulminate to ignite the 4saturated tube. When the fluid is relied on ajct of gas ox' the flame et' a'lamp at the opening in 'the pipe will produce ignition, and as the plunger ispushed forward it will carry the flame to the saturated wrapping on the tube L, but when gun-cotton er a fulmiuate'is relied ou to produce the required ignition simple percussion will be suilicient. The piston I terminates in a valve-plug that has its seat in the inner end of the pipe H, so that when the expansion of the air in the cylinder takes place the valve will be closedaud prevent any loss of power by the esca-pc of air through the gnitiug tube.' When. the connections between the genera-tor, the crank-arms, the valve seat, andpiston-rods are properly formed with the working engine, all of which may be done in any of themost approved modes, the operation of my invention will be smooth, regular, and almost without noise. The closed chamber having received its charge oi oil, or other combustible material, from any suitable reservoir connected by a pipe and stop-cock, and the parts being in the position shown in fig. 2, with the piston packing saturated with its inflammable liquid and the llame applied to the opening 1c, the engine is moved a single turn by any means available, when thc shaft M will revolve its plate and expel the air behind it through the openings exposed for that purpose by the movement of the valve plate during its passage'over them in its movement iuthedirectiou required by its connection with the engine.

The shaft G will in itshalf rotation curry down the section-plate and raise the wrapped tube L charged with oil into the cavity of the generator, the piston will moreferward with its packing ignited by the flame at the opening It and instantly ignite the oil on the fibrous wrapping of the wrapped tube, which will burn rapidly until the oxygen of the air in the generator is consumed, and the utmost pressure capable of being exerted by the heat created will nou be attained, when the onward movement of the vulve will permit the expanded air to` pass into the working cylinder `of the engine, and theueeforward keep it steadily in motion, for the repetition ofl these several steps is all that isrequired for this purpose, for it is obviousthat the return vibration 4of' the plate Q in the generator will expel the burnt air and introduce a body of fresh air necessary tosupport the required combustion.: Should it` be found that a single generator would require o. length ol time to efi'ect its proper combustion inconvenient or not suiiiciently economic, it is obvious that two or moremay be connected with the same workingengine, and then of course this objection would be completely obviated, for the action of each generator would be so timed as to use its expanded air at any instant desired. `It is obvious, too, that by rendering the partial vacuum, created by the expulsion of the burnt air from the generator, available at one end of the stroke of the working engine, I can utilize this power insteadof letting it goto waste. It is also obvious. that other modes of ven-tilating the generator may be adopted, as, for example, the piston and disk follower, shown in figfG, would in its reciproeation evidently effect the result proposed; and it is further obvious that theeleetric spark may be used under' some modifications of my improvement to ignite the combustible matter on the saturated fibrouswrapping on the tube where this is hurried, though I do not now claim this.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is#- 1. A generator for heating the air for au air'eng'ineby burning a combustible material contained in a close chamber connected with the generator', substantially as described.

2. A mechanism, substantially such as described, for alternately producing and extinguishing combustion in the generator of an air engine. I

3. The combination of the sectiou C of the generator with the tube L and shaft G", substantially as described, to alternately transfer the combustible material from theclosed chamber to the generator, as set forth.

4. A mechanism, substantially suoli as described, for.simultaneouslyexpclling the products of combustion from the generator and introducing fresh air`therein.

5. The combination of the stationary diaphragm O with the rotating partition plate Q and generator' A, substantially as and fo'r the purpose set forth. i

6. The igniting tube H, combined with. its piston I, substantially as and for thepurpose setforth.

7. The combination of the ignitiug tube with the generator and closed chamber, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof` 1 have hereunto subscribed my name.-

DAVID DICK.

Witnesses:

Jouw S. HoLuNcsnBAn, JOHN D. BLoon. 

